COLOSSIANS 3:15-17
Let the peace of Christ rule in your
hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the
word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and
admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with
thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Whatever you do in word or deed, do
all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father (NASB).
INTRODUCTION
The trouble with many songs you hear nowadays is that
somebody forgot to put them to music.
This story is from an old-out-of-print book entitled English Hymns:
There was once a difficulty in Rev. Dr. Samuel West’s
congregation in the old New England times. The
choir had declined to proceed with the music. So the shrewd clergyman
introduced the services with the hymn “Come, We Who Love the Lord” and asked
the congregation to begin with the second verse” “Let Those Refuse to Sing Who
Never Knew Our God.”
Music can be one of the most divisive and controversial
issues in Christian worship. Most of the time the controversy centers on the
taste of music. “Music often touches people’s root, their emotions.” Why is it
that music creates much controversy among Christians? For one thing music
confronts the whole person—mind, heart, and will. Music demands some type of
response. Music instructs the mind, inspires the emotions, and challenges the
will.
I.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF MUSIC AND WORSHIP
It is evident from numerous references in the Old
Testament that music played a significant role in the Hebrew culture. According
to tradition, Jubal, the son of Lamech, who was the father of all those who
play the lyre and pipe (Gen. 4:21), was the inventor of music.
The OT is replete with music in
worship. David was known not only for being a mighty king but also a great
musician. Most of the Psalms were written by King David as a form of worship.
David’s exuberance of spiritual joy is evidenced in his many Psalms of Praise.
David allowed the Levites to use all kinds of instruments in their worship when
he became the king of Israel
The close of the OT era was
characterized by apostasy, idolatry, and unbelief. This apostasy was evident in
their singing. The joyful songs of Moses and Miriam, Deborah, David, Asaph,
Chenaniah, and Solomon were heard no more. Musical instruments were seldom used
in synagogue worship. Religious music became formal and mournful. The decrease
of spirituality was followed by wholehearted singing. Musical worship was
forsaken by the laity, and synagogue singing was restricted to the ritualistic
chanting of the priests.
Music has played a significant role in
the history of Christianity. Christian singing was seen in the earthly ministry
of our Lord Jesus Christ (Mk. 14:26 ).
Paul and Silas sang and worshiped the Lord in a Philippian jail (Acts 16:25 ). In several passages from his
letters, Paul made mention of music (1 Cor. 14:15 ; Eph. 5:19 ;
Col. 3:16). There is overwhelming evidence that the first century Christians
used well-known hymns in their worship.
The third century sources of worship
are few in number, the most important of them being The Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus of Rome (ca. A.D. 220) and
the Didascalia of the apostles. The
scarcity (paucity) of records of worship during the third century is best
understood against the background of a hostile culture.
The situation changed during the
Middle Ages because of the Christianization of the world by Emperor
Constantine. Music began to be used as a medium of worship during this time.
The medieval Church produced songs that are still in use today (“Jesus, the
Very Thought of Thee,” “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded,” “O Come, O Come,
Emmanuel”). Nevertheless, the freedom of corporate singing in the church was
short-lived.
By the turn of the fifteenth century,
the singing of hymns by the laity in the church was banned. The Council of
Constance in A.D. 1415 ordered the burning of John Huss at the stake also
decreed: “If laymen are forbidden to preach and interpret the Scripture, much
more are they forbidden to sing publicly in the church.”
One of the achievements of the Protestant
Reformers was the restoration of congregational music. The earliest protestant hymnbooks
were published by the Bohemian Brethren, (who later came to be known as the
Moravian Brethren) in 1501 and 1505 respectively.
Martin Luther was a lover of music.
His influence on music in worship was revolutionary. Luther was well trained in
music. He wrote and composed music that was the favorite of the common people
of his day. His works were so effective that one of his enemies wrote,
“Luther’s songs have damned more souls than all his books and speeches.”
Luther’s specialty was in choral music. His hymns were marked by a simple
melody, a strong harmony and a stately rhythm.
John Calvin’s contribution to the
restoration of music in the church was the Psalms as opposed to hymns. He felt
that hymns were artificial (manufactured) whereas the Psalms were inspired of
God. At first, Calvin advocated singing in unison as opposed to Luther who
endorsed singing in parts. Calvin was against the use of instruments in music.
He contended that accompanying instruments in worship is worldly, but later he
changed his mind.
II. CONTEMPORARY
MUSIC AND WORSHIP
There is a great challenge facing the contemporary
church in the field of music and worship. This challenge has occurred because
of the demands of the changing culture. The introduction of contemporary music
as opposed to traditional has received much criticism. What some of the critics
are not aware is that Luther, Bach, Charles Wesley, and Isaac Watts’ songs,
which have become traditional today used to be contemporary in their time. They
also received similar criticism, but they did not give up, because they wanted
to reach the unchurched people in their culture.
Attracting those who have been turned
off by the church, or those who are unfamiliar with Christian style of worship,
calls for dramatic changes. Music in most churches occupy about forty (40%)
percent of the entire service. Music therefore, plays a major role in a worship
experience.
Contemporary churches that ignore the
important role which music plays in reaching people will continue to decline.
This does not mean that traditional music should be eliminated or abandoned
completely from public worship. Alternative contemporary services should
supplement liturgical services, not displace them.
Music in worship is closely connected
with culture. Popular music (pop music) has had influence on the church and
Christian music through the rise of choruses. Choruses have created a virtual
revolution that is lauded by some Christians as a return to biblical worship. However,
others see it as a “sellout to commercialism and entertainment.”
Calvin Johansson expresses a negative
view of choruses when he writes:
Exclusive
use of choruses tends to produce a people who have the same depth of
spirituality as the music they sing. The result is a faith, which lacks depth,
is simplistic, pleasure-oriented, emotionalistic, intellectually weak,
undisciplined, and prone to the changeability of feelings. The end result of
nothing else but chorus singing is immaturity.
However,
others disagree vehemently with Johansson’s conclusions. The fact that a chorus
is simple does not make it intellectually weak, emotionalistic, and
undisciplined. The advocates contend that choruses like gospel music and other
forms of music should not be excluded from worship but incorporated at the
appropriate places in worship.
III.
CONTEMPORARY MUSIC AND CHURCH GROWTH
Perhaps one of the clearly observed marks of many fast
growing churches is the shift away from traditional hymnody toward contemporary
music. Herb Miller states, “Americans prefer bright, happy, cheerful music” (How to Build a Magnetic Church, 1987).
He goes on to say that when music is upbeat, visitors get a feeling of
liveliness and creativity, rather than solemn sameness.
Choruses, which Johansson has severely
criticized, are considered to be on the top of contemporary music. This was in
the 1980s, but today the top of the chart Christian music is the Contemporary
praise and worship. The lyrics of these choruses speak directly to God rather
than singing about God. Research has confirmed that one out of every four
Southern Baptist churches uses praise choruses and other contemporary songs in
their worship every week. In the same research, it was discovered that as high
as 84.6 percent of Southern Baptist churches use choruses and other
contemporary songs in their worship occasionally if not regularly.
White asserts that,
The
philosophy behind the music in growing churches is that the musical tastes of
the individuals being targeted for outreach should inform the music of the
worship service. It is not that hymns are discarded. Most recognize the worth
of traditional hymnody, but in growing churches, traditional hymns are
supplemented with contemporary forms of music that offer praise to God in a way
that reflects contemporary tastes in music.
Unfamiliar
hymns and old organs make younger people sleepy. John Bisagno writes:
Longhaired
music, funeral dirge anthems, stiff-collared song leaders
will
kill the church faster than anything in the world. Let us set the record
straight for a minute. There are no great, vibrant, soul-winning churches
reaching numbers of people, baptizing hundreds of converts, reaching the masses
that have stiff music, seven-fold amens, and steady diet of classical anthems.
None. That is not a few. That is none, none, and none.
Churches
that have embraced contemporary music styles in their service are convinced
that unchurched guests do not demand that worship should be reduced to less
than fully praising God. The problem that worship leaders have to deal with is
what is contemporary music? Contemporary music differs from one context to
another. For one church, it might be a bluegrass or country western, for
another Bach might lead the way.
According to White, studies by the
Recording Association of America have disclosed that classical music amounts
for only four percent of all albums sales in the United States
While the love for classical music has
waned, the sale of popular, rock, and rap music has soared to seventy percent.
According to research conducted by Kirk Hadaway on Southern Baptist Churches,
one of the strongest church growth principles he discovered was “the
relationship between church growth and the quality of music. A full 90 percent
of large growing churches consider their music program as superb or good, as
compared to 78 percent of plateaued churches and 53 percent of declining
churches.” Hadaway advises pastors, worship leaders, choir directors or
ministers of music to plan music with all seriousness because music enhances
church growth
Morgenthaler asserts:
Subcultural worship music cannot be the bulk of what we sing if we hope
to offer a welcoming, inclusive worship material from an entirely new genre of
worship music, music that is meaningful and engaging to Christian and
non-Christian cultures alike. We need cross-cultural worship music, music in a
variety of popular styles that is attractive to both Seeker Bob and saintly Bill.
A
strong music program generally includes three elements: 1. Planning and
spontaneity. 2. Balance and variety; and 3. Quality and depth. Having seen the
important role music plays in the worship of God, let us always come before the
presence of God with music in our hearts and thanksgiving on our lips for God
inhabits the praise of His people.
